It was summer! The sun shone brightly, and the air was warm and sweet. Avery loved summer! Everything seemed cheerful and colorful, as if the sun was always smiling! Avery's family had moved from their house in Jacksonville to a nearby farm. They wanted to be closer to nature and have more space to play. Avery loved the move! There was a beautiful, peaceful stream on the farm, and a sparkling lake where Avery could swim. There were so many animals on the farm too! Avery was always fascinated by the storks. They walked so gracefully, with their long, thin legs! Avery tried to imitate their walk, taking slow, careful steps, and stretching her arms out like wings. She giggled, pretending to be a stork soaring through the sky!
Avery was playing with the ducklings in the lake one day when she noticed a duck sitting on a nest of eggs. She watched in amazement as the eggs started to crack and tiny ducklings hatched. They were so cute! But one egg, the largest of all, didn't hatch. The duck seemed worried, and she kept sitting on the egg, hoping it would hatch.
Days later, Avery returned to the lake. The duck was gone, but the big egg had finally cracked! There was a baby duckling there, but he looked different from his siblings. He was bigger, with different colored feathers and a different beak. He didn't even waddle the same way as the other ducklings. He seemed sad.
Avery, who easily made friends with animals, went to talk to the strange duckling. "Why are you sad?" she asked. "There is a whole farm and a beautiful garden to explore!" The duckling looked at her with big, watery eyes. "I'm sad because I'm different from my siblings," he said, his voice trembling. "All the other ducks in the lake laugh at me and make me feel bad."
"Oh, don't worry!" Avery said. "I love your company! Come play with me tomorrow!" She told him about her secret hiding place, the Cotton Candy Cloud, a magical place where they could play and be happy. "It's a place where everyone is special and different," Avery whispered.
The next day, Avery returned to the lake, but the duckling was gone. He had been so sad that he decided to leave the lake and try to find other friends. He hoped that somewhere else, people would accept him for who he was. But it didn't work out. Everywhere he went, the other ducks mocked him.
It was a difficult journey for the duckling. The seasons changed, and he always had to move because he never seemed to be welcomed. He only felt embraced by nature. He loved watching the leaves change color in the fall, and he felt cozy nestled in the snow during the winter.
Every day, Avery played by the lake, but she never saw her duckling friend again. She made magical sweets in the Cotton Candy Cloud, and she dreamed of new adventures with her friend.
Spring arrived, and the duckling loved spring just as Avery loved summer! He flew to the tops of the trees and sang beautiful songs to the birds. After a long and difficult journey, the duckling found himself near the lake where he was born. He approached cautiously, not wanting his siblings to laugh at him. But when he reached the water's edge, he saw his reflection, like in a mirror! He was no longer an ugly duckling but a beautiful swan! That's why everyone thought he was so strange!
That day, Avery went to play in the water. She looked up and saw a familiar face! It was her duckling friend! She was amazed. Her friend was now a swan, with long, graceful wings and beautiful white feathers.
Avery and the swan played joyfully in the water. They swam and chased each other, giggling and laughing. They were so happy to be together again. Avery knew that being different was okay. She understood that the duckling, now a beautiful swan, had just been a bit different from the other ducklings.
And isn't being different just being who we are?
